Boulder Community Health staff led a day of learning and personal and organizational
reflection Friday at the 3rd Annual Compassionate Care Symposium – this year focused on themes
of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Caregivers, leaders and staff from across the health system came together
to hear the results of a three-month shadowing program where leaders and
staff spent the day following a caregiver from a different department
outside their comfort zone.

A diversity expert from Mount Sinai in New York was flown in to talk about
best practices and ways in which diversity and inclusion trainings lead
to better patient outcomes and better retention of employees.

Employees signed up for afternoon-long breakout sessions on topics such
as: multiple generations in the workplace, compassion for the homeless,
acceptance and inclusion of mental illness, LGBTQIAP diversity, and racial
and cultural diversity.

"I think that we as an organization are working hard at inclusion
and equity and there are so many nuances to this awareness," said
BCH Spiritual Care Manager Sharna Ill, a lead organizer of the symposium.
" It's okay to start with a breath and to feel awkward but to
be curious and want to support a continued growing of conversation that
doesn't end, that allows us to take better care of patients and have
greater compassion for all who walk through our door."

The day-long event was the culmination of six months work by over 20 BCH
staff members, who took on the responsibility in addition to their regular
jobs, including Sharna Ill and ICU Nurse Leader Lynne McAtee-Harris who
together co-chair the Compassionate Care program at Boulder Community
Health, which focuses on nurturing caregivers to enhance patient care.
The event was financially supported by the Boulder Community Health Foundation
led by President Grant Besser and the BCH Clinical Education Department
led by Sarah Wise.

“The human need for connection and inclusion is strong,” McAtee-Harris
began at the beginning of the symposium, “There is a desire to be
part of something bigger than ourselves. Belonging makes us feel good,
warm, accepted and comfortable. We understand our group, we relate, we
speak the same language, share a similar culture and purpose. When we
step outside our group, there can be fear and uncertainty. Suddenly, we
feel smaller and less sure of ourselves.”

McAtee-Harris led a group who spoke about their experiences shadowing someone
with a very different job in the organization. In all, 120 people asked
to shadow caregivers in different departments, including BCH President
& CEO Robert Vissers, MD who shadowed McAtee-Harris in the ICU.

“We kept having to extend the shadowing program because so many people
wanted to join,” laughed McAtee-Harris.

Environmental Services employee Cecilia Cid shadowed a nurse in the intensive
care unit. Through a Spanish interpreter, Cid told the group that the
shadowing experience gave her a new perspective on her colleagues.

“My respect to everyone who works on that floor,” Cid said,
citing the multiple priorities juggled by the nursing staff. “I’ve
always enjoyed my job on that floor but now I enjoy it more because of
my experiences shadowing.”

BCH Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel Sarah Meshak shadowed a nurse
in the operating room and found the experience eye opening.

“If there’s any place for me that’s out of my comfort
zone it’s the OR,” she said. “The first thing I noticed
is that I was on my feet all day. My back hurt. My feet hurt.”

Meshak said that she snuck a seat on a stool but she noticed that no one
in the operating room ever did, bringing their best to what is a life-changing
event for many patients.

“I witnessed the amazing amount of compassion that these nurses have
for these patients,” Meshak said. “It was like they said,
‘You are mine for the next two hours and I’m going to make
sure everything goes well for you' and they did.”

She said she saw first hand the implications of some of the legal requirements
she enforces, such as hand washing. She was particularly impressed with
operating room nurses who woke up patients in their preferred language.
“What a wonderful thing to wake up to your own language after something
scary like a surgery.”

BCH Foundation President Grant Besser also shadowed McAtee-Harris in the
ICU and said the day gave him a deeper emotional connection and understanding
of the complexity of a caregiver’s job.

“I was surprised at the diversity of skills that are needed at any
one moment and I left in awe of the unspoken dance of the caregivers who
went about their jobs in a beautiful flow,” he said, “The
emotional intelligence is off the charts here.”

Besser said he was able to witness first-hand the effects of community
issues at the heart of the foundation's work such as mental illness,
aging, and the opioid crisis. “I have a new perspective on how can
we align the fundraising and grants of the foundation to better meet those
needs.”

BCH President and CEO Dr. Robert Vissers spoke at the event about diversity
as a core strength of any successful organization.

Dr. Vissers said that he learned a lot about diversity, forgiveness, inclusion
and acceptance as a former emergency department physician working for
20 years in primarily safety net hospitals.

While completing his MBA program, Dr. Vissers said, he learned that teams
with a diversity of experience always produced better solutions and products,
every time.

“The exceptional provider is able to see patients through an unbiased
lens but also see their uniqueness,” Dr. Vissers said.

He cautioned that being in Boulder can sometimes bring a false sense of
arrogance that we are already progressive and welcoming to all. “Early
this year we found that as an organization we have a lot to be proud of
but there are a lot of things that we could be doing better.”

Dr. Vissers said we need to open ourselves up to listen to anybody who
may be having a different experience.

“Patients who feel respected and connected to their caregivers are
going to have a better health outcome,” Warren said. She said the
fact so many people attended the symposium showed that there is workforce
demand to do diversity and inclusion work.

Dr. Warren led two leadership sessions on diversity and inclusion attended
by about eight BCH leaders, ranging from vice presidents to unit supervisors.
She described the Mount Sinai program and experience, defined the role
of leaders in an effective program, and provided training on the concept
of implicit bias.

Breakout sessions were led by BCH staff, community experts and some community
members who have been affected by these issues. Topics explored included
racial and implicit bias in the workplace, Hispanic culture, multiple
generations, LGTBQIAP issues, mental health issues, and homeless population issues.

Each attendee received a gift bag with books on diversity themes, a journal,
reflections (in Spanish and English), mugs and essential oils.

“It was a beautiful day of learning and self-reflection, diversity
and inclusion,” McAtee-Harris wrote later, “and I was so proud
and happy to be part of such a unique and fulfilling process.”